Bolsonaro coup trial verdict and sentencing phase at Supreme Court

The verdict and sentencing phase in the coup trial of former president Jair Bolsonaro opened Tuesday at Brazil's Supreme Court in Brasília, as a five-justice panel began reviewing whether the 70-year-old leader and seven co-defendants sought to overturn the 2022 election that brought Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to power. Court sessions are scheduled through Sept. 12, and judges will vote individually on each defendant after prosecutors and defense lawyers make closing arguments.

Justice Cristiano Zanin, who chairs the panel, opened the proceedings and called on Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the rapporteur who has overseen much of the case, to summarize evidence gathered over months of hearings. Prosecutors accuse Bolsonaro of masterminding a plot that included plans to declare a state of siege, encouragement of the Jan. 8, 2023, assault on government buildings and threats against judges, and they say the combined charges could carry decades in prison. Estimates of potential punishment vary; some legal observers and prosecutors have cited figures of about 40 years, while others have described the exposure as more than 30 years, noting Brazil's legal cap on sentences.